Alice Longabaugh

Alice Longabaugh (1838-1873) was an American pioneer who travelled the Oregon Trail in 1873 with her brother Gilbert Longabaugh. After her brother died, she was cared for by party leader Billy Knapp, who successfully proposed to marry her. However, she shot herself during a Sioux attack rather than be captured and raped.

Biography
Alice Longabaugh was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1838 to an Episcopalian family, and she was the younger sister of businessman Gilbert Longabaugh by around 15 years. Her older brother had fixed views and often insulted her as "wishy-washy" and saw her as a bargaining tool. In 1873, he decided to head down the Oregon Trail with her and have her marry a prospective business associate of his once they arrived in Oregon. However, Gilbert died not long after the wagon train set out, and Alice was left with the $400 debt that her brother owed to Matt Houston, the hired help for the journey, which had to be paid before the party reached Fort Laramie. Longabaugh was cared for by party leader Billy Knapp, who chased off Gilbert's pesky dog "President Pierce", fed Longabaugh, and sought to help her with her debt. Eventually, after they had spent several days together, he decided to propose to marry her, saying that the 1872 Homestead Act would grant a married couple 640 acres, and that he could finally settle down after years of leading wagon trains, while Longabaugh could have financial security. Alice agreed to marry him, but, the following morning, she rode off from the train after hearing President Pierce's barks from nearby. Wagon train co-leader Granger Arthur rode over to find Alice, and they noticed a raiding party of Sioux closing in. Arthur gave Alice a pistol and told her to shoot herself if he was killed, as the Native Americans would capture her, rape her, and torture her to death. Arthur repulsed two waves of the natives, but he was knocked to the ground by one of them. Alice, rattled and following Arthur's instructions, shot herself in the head, and Arthur, who had faked his death in order to ambush the Indian warrior, was left with the impossible task of telling Knapp about what had occurred.